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S-EQUOL: a neuroprotective therapeutic for chronic neurocognitive impairments in pediatric HIV

Kristen A McLaurin1, Hailong Li1, Anna K Cook1

  • 1Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, 1512 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.

Journal of Neurovirology
|September 2, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Early S-Equol treatment prevents neurocognitive deficits in pediatric HIV-1 (PHIV) models. This neuroprotective therapy shows efficacy across biological sexes, offering hope for children with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND).

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Pediatric HIV-1 (PHIV) leads to chronic neurocognitive impairments due to early viral protein exposure.
  • S-Equol (SE) shows promise as a neuroprotective agent for neurocognitive deficits in adult HIV-1 transgenic rats.
  • The efficacy of SE in early-life PHIV models and across biological sexes requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of early-initiated S-Equol (SE) treatment in a pediatric HIV-1 (PHIV) rat model.
  • To determine if SE's neuroprotective effects are consistent across biological sexes.
  • To assess SE's potential as a neuroprotective therapy in the post-cART era for HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized signal detection operant tasks to assess neurocognitive function in HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rats.
  • Administered S-Equol (SE) treatment starting at postnatal day 28.
  • Analyzed sex-dependent neurocognitive deficits and the impact of SE treatment.

Main Results:

  • HIV-1 Tg rats exhibited significant, sex-dependent neurocognitive deficits in learning, response, and temporal processing.
  • Early SE treatment (postnatal day 28) prevented chronic neurocognitive impairments in 100% of HIV-1 Tg animals.
  • SE demonstrated generalized therapeutic effects across biological sexes, irrespective of endogenous hormone presence.

Conclusions:

  • Early S-Equol (SE) administration is an effective neuroprotective strategy against chronic neurocognitive impairments in a pediatric HIV-1 (PHIV) model.
  • SE therapy is effective in both male and female rats, supporting its broad applicability for HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND).
  • Optimizing SE treatment by considering age, neurocognitive domains, and biological sex can enhance therapeutic outcomes for PHIV and HAND.

Keywords:
Biological sexS-EquolSignal detectionStimulus-reinforcement learningTemporal processing

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